Reading and Analyzing Text Reading and Analyzing Text
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Grade 5, Unit 5 BENCHMARK TEST Name Date Reading and Analyzing Text Reading and Analyzing Text Read the passages “A New Fan” and “Bon Appetit” before answering Numbers 1 through 7. A New Fan “But Mom!” Susie Chang knew her mother hated it whenever she whined, but she continued anyway. “Honey,” said Susie’s mother, stretching her lips across her teeth as she applied a coat of Blushing Burgundy lipstick, “don’t you have some guests to attend to?” “We’re making bracelets and anklets, and they’re fine.” “That’s wonderful. How do I look?” Susie’s mother, dressed in a shimmering emerald green evening gown, struck a model’s pose. “Like a traitor,” Susie pouted. “When I organized this slumber party, you said you were going to be home.” At the last minute, Susie’s mother had been invited to host an important charity function in the city with her dad. “We won’t be getting home all that late. And don’t worry. Nai Nai will be right here all evening long.” Susie’s face darkened visibly. Not one of her friends referred to their grandmother as Nai Nai, and none of them had a grandmother who lived with them either. Susie’s grandmother had moved into the house about six months ago from Minneapolis, where she had lived with Susie’s Ye Ye, or Grandpa Joe. When Ye Ye died, Nai Nai had relocated and was living with Susie’s family. Though Susie hardly knew her, she was confident that no one else had a grandmother quite like Nai Nai. After her mother’s elegant departure, Susie rejoined her company downstairs in the living room, where they were twisting embroidery threads into colorful bracelets, anklets, and other accessories. Nai Nai was sitting in the corner, playing a game of solitaire in the glow of a fringed floor lamp, with a delicate pair of half-moon spectacles sitting primly on the bridge of her nose. “I sure wish my grandma would, like, go to the veranda, or something,” Susie muttered under her breath to Anna, whom she’d known since kindergarten. Shocked, Anna turned to look at Nai Nai. “Why?” “Talk about invading my personal space.” Susie stole a glance at the corner. Nai Nai was wearing one of those dresses made of a shiny satin fabric that fastened at the neck. Why couldn’t she just wear jeans, or a tracksuit, like any normal grandmother? “Chill out, Susie,” said Hillary, whom Susie had met the year before playing youth basketball. “It’s 90 degrees outside—just enjoy the air conditioning.” Benchmark Test, Reading and Analyzing Text 151 Grade 5, Unit 5 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Grade 5, Unit 5 BENCHMARK TEST Name Date Reading and Analyzing Text Nai Nai nodded at Susie then abruptly frowned in the direction of the sofa. “Not feeling so good?” Susie turned to see Greta, her best friend, lying across half the couch, holding a cushion to her forehead. “It’s just a really bad headache,” moaned Greta. “And it’s my own fault—I was reading without my glasses.” Without a word, Nai Nai scurried to the kitchen, quickly returning with a cup of steaming liquid. “Herbal tea,” said Nai Nai. “It has hibiscus blossom and honey. It’s good for treating a headache,” she explained, sitting next to Greta. And then, the lights went out. With a single voice, everyone screamed. Anna yelled, “Flashlights!” “They’re in the kitchen!” said Susie, fumbling her way to the adjoining room. “Oh, I can’t believe it—this is the unluckiest slumber party ever!” Her friends were stumbling along behind her, each girl holding on to the one in front, like boxcars in a railroad train. “No, it’s not,” giggled Greta. “It’s awesome!” Susie peered out the kitchen window, noticing that her neighbors’ homes—and the streetlights—had also gone dark. “The power’s gone out on the entire street—super. Here, have a flashlight.” “You call these flashlights?” Anna laughed. Two puny beams of light struggled to penetrate the blackness. “You know what’s worse than no light?” Becca asked through the darkness. “No air conditioning!” The girls all groaned their agreement. Then a sound made them swivel around and gaze toward the fireplace at the back of the room. On the mantle, a little flame appeared, then another and another, until a row of light danced across the mantle. Nai Nai had set up the candles and lit them one by one. “Oooh,” the girls marveled in unison. They moved toward the fireplace as if drawn by an unseen magnet. Then they arranged themselves around the hearth and admired the flickering lights. “My candle collection was packed away,” said Nai Nai. “Now we get to put it to good use.” She picked up a slender candle and used it to help light her way out of the living room. “Your grandmother is so awesome,” said Hillary. “And so is this party!” Julie added. “Hey, you know, I bet if we stay really still, we won’t be so hot.” As if on cue, Nai Nai returned and began passing out small solid Benchmark Test, Reading and Analyzing Text 152 Grade 5, Unit 5 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Grade 5, Unit 5 BENCHMARK TEST Name Date Reading and Analyzing Text objects from a bulky plastic bag. Initially confused, the girls examined the items in the flickering light. “I know!” Greta yelled. With a flap, she shook open what was suddenly a semi- circular fan. Nai Nai had handed one to each girl. As the girls batted the fans at themselves and each other, they admired the patterns painted on them—cypress trees, cherry blossoms, and buffaloes. As she waved her fan, Susie’s tension let go in the comforting atmosphere of the candlelight. It was funny how here, in the darkness, she could see Nai Nai more clearly than ever before. Benchmark Test, Reading and Analyzing Text 153 Grade 5, Unit 5 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Grade 5, Unit 5 BENCHMARK TEST Name Date Reading and Analyzing Text Bon Appétit! “How long was I supposed to let the pasta cook?” I mumbled to myself, as I gave the marinara sauce a quick stir with the wooden spoon and peeked under the lid of the steamer to see if the green beans looked ready. They did: far, far too ready. In fact, they resembled limp, olive-colored shoe laces more than the bright, crisp green vegetables I had been aiming for. There was no time to despair though. Just as I seized a pair of oven mitts and lifted the steamer into the sink to cool, the pasta water rose up and spilled over the lip of the pot, hissing at me as it hit the stovetop. Quickly, I turned the burner off and seized the pot in my oven mitts. So far, cooking a meal for my family had been one massive juggling act, and I felt like I was dropping balls right and left. I sighed. At least my marinara sauce, made from scratch and bubbling gently in the saucepan, looked more than edible—perfect even—just as I had hoped. It better be perfect, I thought, after I had spent all afternoon chopping onions, basil leaves and garlic—so much garlic. The kitchen door swung open, and my older sister Sara waltzed in. “Okay, Evan, the table is all set, Gran and Grandpa are here, and everyone is just sitting down at the table. Is there anything else I can do to help?” she asked. I was still standing and holding the pot in my oven mitts. “Um, I forgot to put a colander in the sink to drain the pasta water. Can you grab one?” “Of course,” Sara agreed. “And then I’ll just carry the beans out to the table, okay?” “Thanks,” I said, heaving a sigh of relief. “I’ll be right behind you with the pasta and marinara sauce.” A few minutes later, I was proudly ladling piping-hot red sauce over heaps of penne pasta on my family members’ dinner plates. Overcooked beans aside, I couldn’t wait for everyone to taste my homemade tomato sauce. “Evan, you have outdone yourself, truly,” Gran exclaimed. “This looks wonderful!” she said, as I passed her a full, steaming plate. “It smells very garlicky, not to mention delicious!” my mom said. “Well, garlic is one of the main ingredients in the sauce,” I replied, and then I announced proudly, “Bon appétit, everyone!” Instead of digging into my own dish, I watched my family dig into theirs. Even though cooking the meal had been a hectic experience, it was the moment when everyone praised the perfection of my sauce that I had been imagining all day. Grandpa reacted first, just not in the way I had expected. “Uhh-UM,” he gargled, barely managing to swallow his mouthful of pasta. From across the table, Sara looked as though she had bit into a lemon. Benchmark Test, Reading and Analyzing Text 154 Grade 5, Unit 5 © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Grade 5, Unit 5 BENCHMARK TEST Name Date Reading and Analyzing Text “Oh no! What’s the matter?” I groaned. “Um, Evan, how much garlic did the sauce recipe call for?” Mom asked gently. “Three to four cloves,” I replied. I was totally confused; I had followed the recipe exactly. “Evan, is there a chance you might have used three bulbs of garlic instead of just three small cloves?” Dad asked.